Abstract
The present study investigates the impact of non-stoichiometric elemental composition on the physical properties of chemically deposited SnS thin films via varying the thioacetamide molar concentration. The GI-XRD and Raman spectra confirmed the occurrence of an orthorhombic SnS phase, and the highest crystallinity was observed in the thin films deposited using a 0.55 M concentration of thioacetamide. The band gap values of 1.63–1.82 eV were obtained for the SnS thin films deposited using various molar concentrations of thioacetamide. The morphological study reveals surface agglomeration for all the samples. Further, The EDS analysis elucidated the non-stoichiometric composition ratio of Sn-poor and S-rich and showed an increase in the elemental percentage of sulfur with an increase in thioacetamide molar concentration. Moreover, the lowest resistivity of 3.6 Ω-cm was observed in the thin film grown using the thioacetamide molar concentration of 0.55 M.
Graphical abstract
![](http://media.springernature.com/lw685/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1557%2Fs43578-023-01232-1/MediaObjects/43578_2023_1232_Figa_HTML.png)
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1557%2Fs43578-023-01232-1/MediaObjects/43578_2023_1232_Fig1_HTML.png)
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1557%2Fs43578-023-01232-1/MediaObjects/43578_2023_1232_Fig2_HTML.png)
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1557%2Fs43578-023-01232-1/MediaObjects/43578_2023_1232_Fig3_HTML.jpg)
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1557%2Fs43578-023-01232-1/MediaObjects/43578_2023_1232_Fig4_HTML.png)
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1557%2Fs43578-023-01232-1/MediaObjects/43578_2023_1232_Fig5_HTML.png)
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1557%2Fs43578-023-01232-1/MediaObjects/43578_2023_1232_Fig6_HTML.png)
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1557%2Fs43578-023-01232-1/MediaObjects/43578_2023_1232_Fig7_HTML.png)
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
The authors will give out access to the experimental data upon reasonable request.
References
M. Guc, J. Andrade-Arvizu, I.Y. Ahmet, F. Oliva, M. Placidi, X. Alcobé, E. Saucedo, A. Pérez-Rodríguez, A.L. Johnson, V. Izquierdo-Roca, Structural and vibrational properties of α- and π-SnS polymorphs for photovoltaic applications. Acta Mater. 183, 1–10 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2019.11.016
M.A. Green, M. Yoshita, M. Rauer, E.D.D.J. Hohl-ebinger, N. Kopidakis, K. Bothe, D. Hinken, X. Hao, Solar cell efficiency tables (version 60). Prog. Photovolt. Res. Appl. 30, 687–701 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1002/pip.3595
J.Y. Cho, S.Y. Kim, R. Nandi, J. Jang, H.S. Yun, E. Enkhbayar, J.H. Kim, D.K. Lee, C.H. Chung, J.H. Kim, J. Heo, Achieving over 4% efficiency for SnS/CdS thin-film solar cells by improving the heterojunction interface quality. J. Mater. Chem. A. 8, 20658–20665 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1039/d0ta06937j
Y. Zi, J. Zhu, L. Hu, M. Wang, W. Huang, Nanoengineering of tin monosulfide (SnS)-based structures for emerging applications. Small Sci. 2, 2100098 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1002/smsc.202100098
I. Suzuki, S. Kawanishi, T. Omata, H. Yanagi, Current status of n-type SnS: paving the way for SnS homojunction solar cells. J. Phys. Energy. 4, 042002 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7655/ac86a1
A. Abadi, M.T. Htay, Y. Hashimoto, K. Ito, N. Momose, Annealing effect of absorber layer on SnS/CdS heterojunction band alignments. Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 61, SB1042 (2022). https://doi.org/10.35848/1347-4065/ac3a8f
G.A. Tritsaris, B.D. Malone, E. Kaxiras, Optoelectronic properties of single-layer, double-layer, and bulk tin sulfide: a theoretical study. J. Appl. Phys. 113, 233507 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4811455
P. Sinsermsuksakul, L. Sun, S.W. Lee, H.H. Park, S.B. Kim, C. Yang, R.G. Gordon, Overcoming efficiency limitations of SnS-based solar cells. Adv. Energy Mater. 4, 1–7 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.201400496
D.G. Moon, S. Rehan, D.H. Yeon, S.M. Lee, S.J. Park, S.J. Ahn, Y.S. Cho, A review on binary metal sulfide heterojunction solar cells. Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 200, 109963 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2019.109963
R.E. Banai, M.W. Horn, J.R.S. Brownson, A review of tin (II) monosulfide and its potential as a photovoltaic absorber. Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 150, 112–129 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2015.12.001
J.A. Andrade-Arvizu, M. Courel-Piedrahita, O. Vigil-Galán, SnS-based thin film solar cells: perspectives over the last 25 years. J. Mater. Sci. Mater. Electron. 26, 4541–4556 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-015-3050-z
P. Mani, K. Manikandan, J.J. Prince, Influence of molar concentration on triethanolamine (TEA) added tin sulfide (SnS) thin films by SILAR method. J. Mater. Sci. Mater. Electron. 27, 9255–9264 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-016-4963-x
R. Balakarthikeyan, A. Santhanam, A. Khan, A.M. El-Toni, A.A. Ansari, A. Imran, M. Shkir, S. AlFaify, Performance analysis of SnS thin films fabricated using thermal evaporation technique for photodetector applications. Optik (Stuttg). 244, 167460 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijleo.2021.167460
M. Al-Shakban, P.D. Matthews, E.A. Lewis, J. Raftery, I. Vitorica-Yrezabal, S.J. Haigh, D.J. Lewis, P. O’Brien, Chemical vapor deposition of tin sulfide from diorganotin(IV) dixanthates. J. Mater. Sci. 54, 2315–2323 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-018-2968-y
U. Chalapathi, B. Poornaprakash, S.-H. Park, Chemically deposited cubic SnS thin films for solar cell applications. Sol. Energy 139, 238–248 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2016.09.046
A. Yago, T. Kibishi, Y. Akaki, S. Nakamura, H. Oomae, H. Katagiri, H. Araki, Influence of Sn/S composition ratio on SnS thin-film solar cells produced via co-evaporation method. Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. (2018). https://doi.org/10.7567/JJAP.57.02CE08
M. Patel, I. Mukhopadhyay, A. Ray, Molar optimization of spray pyrolyzed SnS thin films for photoelectrochemical applications. J. Alloys Compd. 619, 458–463 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2014.08.207
L.A. Rodríguez-Guadarrama, J. Escorcia-García, I.L. Alonso-Lemus, J. Campos-Álvarez, Synthesis of π-SnS thin films through chemical bath deposition: effects of pH, deposition time, and annealing temperature. J. Mater. Sci. Mater. Electron. 32, 7464–7480 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-021-05459-8
C. Ocampo-Ortega, I. Riech, A. Abelenda, R. Mis-Fernández, P. Rodríguez-Fragoso, J. Mendoza-Alvarez, Chemical bath deposited orthorhombic SnS films for solar cell applications. Coatings 12, 283 (2022). https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings12020283
P. Nisha, P. Kumar, P. Sarkar, R.S. Katiyar, Influence of S/Sn ratio on microstructural, morphological and optical properties of tin monosulfide thin films. Opt. Mater. 133, 112792 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.optmat.2022.112792
P. Kumar, G.K. Rao, A. D C, The effect of the precursor molarities on the composition, microstructure and optical properties of tin sulphide films obtained from S-SILAR technique. ECS J. Solid State Sci. Technol. 9, 064004 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1149/2162-8777/aba0cd
E.B. Díaz-Cruz, L. González-Espinoza, E. Regalado-Pérez, O.A. Castelo-González, M.C. Arenas-Arrocena, H. Hu, Tuning optoelectronic properties of SnS thin films by a kinetically controllable low temperature microwave hydrothermal method. J. Alloys Compd. 797, 537–547 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2019.05.002
A.J. Jebathew, M. Karunakaran, K.D. Arun Kumar, S. Valanarasu, V. Ganesh, M. Shkir, I.S. Yahia, H.Y. Zahran, A. Kathalingam, An effect of Gd3+ doping on core properties of ZnS thin films prepared by nebulizer spray pyrolysis (NSP) method. Phys. B Condens. Matter. 574, 411674 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physb.2019.411674
H.R. Chandrasekhar, R.G. Humphreys, U. Zwick, M. Cardona, Infrared and Raman spectra of the IV–VI compounds SnS and SnSe. Phys. Rev. B 15, 2177–2183 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.15.2177
S. Banu, S.J. Ahn, Y.J. Eo, J. Gwak, A. Cho, Tin monosulfide (SnS) thin films grown by liquid-phase deposition. Sol. Energy 145, 33–41 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2016.12.013
M.S. Mahdi, K. Ibrahim, A. Hmood, N.M. Ahmed, S.A. Azzez, F.I. Mustafa, A highly sensitive flexible SnS thin film photodetector in the ultraviolet to near infrared prepared by chemical bath deposition. RSC Adv. 6, 114980–114988 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1039/c6ra24491b
D. Lee, J.Y. Cho, H.S. Yun, D.K. Lee, T. Kim, K. Bang, Y.S. Lee, H.Y. Kim, J. Heo, Vapor transport deposited tin monosulfide for thin-film solar cells: effect of deposition temperature and duration. J. Mater. Chem. A. 7, 7186–7193 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1039/c8ta09820d
A. Sharanu, A. Kompa, M. Pal, K. Rao, Structural, spectroscopic, and electrical studies of spin-coated ZnO-ZTO thin films for their potential application in photocatalysis and optoelectronics. Ceram. Int. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2023.02.199
J. Tauc, Band tails in amorphous semiconductors. J. Non Cryst. Solids 97–98, 149–154 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-3093(87)90035-4
P. Jain, P. Arun, Parameters influencing the optical properties of SnS thin films. J. Semicond. 34, 093004 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1088/1674-4926/34/9/093004
A. Urbaniak, M. Pawłowski, M. Marzantowicz, B. Marí, T. Sall, Study of the effect of V-doping on the opto-electrical properties of spray-pyrolized SnS thin films. Thin Solid Films 664, 60–65 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsf.2018.08.032
J. Vidal, S. Lany, M. D’Avezac, A. Zunger, A. Zakutayev, J. Francis, J. Tate, Band-structure, optical properties, and defect physics of the photovoltaic semiconductor SnS. Appl. Phys. Lett. (2012). https://doi.org/10.1063/13675880
S. Ildan Ozmen, S.H. Temiz, H.M. Gubur, Effects of annealing on SnS films produced by chemical bath deposition (CBD). Phys. Scr. 97, 075704 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1088/1402-4896/ac7756
A. Javed, N. Khan, S. Bashir, M. Ahmad, M. Bashir, Thickness dependent structural, electrical and optical properties of cubic SnS thin films. Mater. Chem. Phys. 246, 122831 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matchemphys.2020.122831
I.B. Kherchachi, A. Attaf, H. Saidi, A. Bouhdjer, H. Bendjedidi, Y. Benkhetta, R. Azizi, Structural, optical and electrical properties of SnxSy thin films grown by spray ultrasonic. J. Semicond. 37, 032001 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1088/1674-4926/37/3/032001
Z. Xu, Y. Chen, Synthesis of SnS thin films from nano-multilayer technique. Energy Procedia. 10, 238–242 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2011.10.184
M. Devika, N.K. Reddy, K. Ramesh, K.R. Gunasekhar, E.S.R. Gopal, K.T.R. Reddy, Influence of annealing on physical properties of evaporated SnS films. Semicond. Sci. Technol. 21, 1125–1131 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1088/0268-1242/21/8/025
H. Noguchi, A. Setiyadi, H. Tanamura, T. Nagatomo, O. Omoto, Characterization of vacuum-evaporated tin sulfide film for solar cell materials. Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 35, 325–331 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1016/0927-0248(94)90158-9
M. Devika, N.K. Reddy, K. Ramesh, R. Ganesan, K.R. Gunasekhar, E.S.R. Gopal, K.T.R. Reddy, Thickness effect on the physical properties of evaporated SnS films. J. Electrochem. Soc. 154, H67 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1149/1.2398816
T.S. Reddy, M.C.S. Kumar, Co-evaporated SnS thin films for visible light photodetector applications. RSC Adv. 6, 95680–95692 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1039/c6ra20129f
Acknowledgments
The authors wish to acknowledge the IIT Roorkee and MNIT Jaipur for their invaluable help in providing characterization facilities. They would also like to thank Prof. Beerpal Singh from the Department of Physics at C.C.S. University, Meerut, for his assistance with UV–Vis characterization.
Funding
The authors did not receive support from any organization for the submitted work.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
DJ: conceptualization, methodology, formal analysis, writing—original draft; GJ: supervision and project administration; AP: formal analysis, validation, writing—review & editing; SC and RKS: data curation.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Jain, D., Jain, G., Pal, A. et al. Exploration of thioacetamide molar concentration on the physical properties of chemically deposited tin sulfide thin films. Journal of Materials Research 39, 388–397 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1557/s43578-023-01232-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/s43578-023-01232-1